Piri Weepu has fuelled the debate over whether the Springboks are a dirty team by vowing the All Blacks won’t “stoop to their level” on Saturday.

The New Zealanders believe the Vodacom Tri-Nations match in Wellington could become brutal, especially if the Boks are on the end of another big hiding.

“They like to get at you a bit and put you off your game, so the boys have to stay disciplined and not give stupid penalties away,” Weepu told The Dominion Post on Thursday. “We know not to stoop to their level and let them put us off.”

The newspaper referred to an incident last year at Newlands when Byron Kelleher was knocked out by Victor Matfield in an off-the-ball incident that saw Weepu take the field in the second minute.

Weepu said he is expecting more of the same “niggle” from the Springboks in his first Test at home.

“They try to get you really fired up so you lose your temper and do stupid things on the field. They’re the type of squad to do things like that, but hopefully the boys can stay calm and go about their business.”

“They like to rush out of the line a lot and try to shut you down early. They try to be physical, rule the roost and intimidate you, but the boys are up to it.”